


Taken

by McKennaSevrin



Series: Behind Closed Doors [2]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kidnapping, M/M, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 16:48:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9830558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKennaSevrin/pseuds/McKennaSevrin
Summary: It was supposed to be a routine mission.  Gate in, discuss trade, scan for ancient tech, gate back home in time for dinner.  So why was he locked in a Geni cell?  Rodney sighed and rested his head back against the rock wall as he cradled his bloody arm and thought back to where things went wrong.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Part 2 in the 'Behind Closed Doors' series. You don't actually have to read them in order. Part 1 is just to establish the unconventional relationship between the three and their use of BDSM in the bedroom.

It was supposed to be a routine mission. Gate in, discuss trade, scan for ancient tech, gate back home in time for dinner. So why was he locked in a Geni cell? Rodney sighed and rested his head back against the rock wall as he cradled his bloody arm and thought back to where things went wrong.

~~~

Rodney knew he'd been slacking off on his daily... ok barely weekly running schedule that Sheppard had him on. Sheppard tried to get him running daily but dammit, he was a busy man. Late nights in the labs, even later nights in Sheppard's bed with him and Carson, and he was barely able to get himself up and moving at a decent hour in the mornings. This morning was no different. Claiming the need for research before the mission he barely made it out of his lovers clutches before grabbing coffee and a few muffins in the mess hall and ensconcing himself in his lab. He had skidded into the pre-mission briefing with seconds to go and tried to avoid John's glare. But his research was important and outside of the bedroom, he and John were on even footing. Granted, John was the military commander but Rodney was the head of his department. Even if their private relationship had Rodney on his knees at John's feet behind closed doors, he still had his public persona which meant berating his fellow scientists and pointing out their stupidity when they made the mistake of letting him see it and occasionally being late because of it all. Regardless, when they were getting ready for the off world mission and John pulled him towards him under the guise of checking his tac vest he came very close to going weak in the knees as John checked him over. Rodney's back was to the rest of the room but it must have been safe when John leaned in and whispered orders to him.

“You stay close to me, you understand?” John's face was so close and his hands were fisted in Rodney's tac vest. 

Rodney swallowed and managed a small, quiet, “Yes sir.” before he was let go and Sheppard moved around the rest of the room checking that every one else was suitably attired. 

Once on the planet they looked to Rodney who was checking the life signs detector. Ronan was on alert but then Ronan always was. Teyla was looking around as if she were trying to ascertain which direction civilization might be. 

“Huh” Rodney turned his scanner this way and that. 

“What is it? Can you tell where the village is?” John raised his p90 at Rodney's 'Huh' because he knew that meant things weren't as they appeared. 

“Well based on the life signs I'm picking up, there isn't a village nearby.” He thumbed through the device, adjusting settings and then scanned again, moving to one direction and then another before bringing it back to John. “Or at least if there is a village then it doesn't contain more than a dozen or so people in it.” 

John gripped his weapon tighter and made his decision. “Ok, stick together and lets go see if the natives are friendly.” By unspoken agreement the team moved into a position that placed Rodney in the center of them. He accepted their dominance in the field but only because it might just save his ass when it needed saving. And the sight of John being protective of him did go straight to his dick so he wasn't likely to argue that any time soon.

~~~

The village turned out to have been culled. It looked as if people had been working and living, doing laundry or selling goods one minute and gone the next. John could see crops in the distance and was trying to decide if it was bad form to suggest they at least not let them go to waste if there was no one here to harvest them. Before he could come up with a tactful way to suggest it, he was hit by something. He turned towards Rodney but as he did he saw Ronan go down. Teyla followed and as John sunk to his knees his vision went blurry. As the edges of his vision turned grey he saw a blurry figure take hold of Rodney just before his vision went completely black and he slipped into unconsciousness.

~~~

John woke to bright sunshine in his face and the hard ground at his back. His head was pounding and it took a few seconds before his vision returned to normal and not blurred at the edges. Checking his movement he turned his head and moved his arms. Nope, he thought, not secured thankfully. He could see Ronan and Teyla beginning to wake but there was no sign of Rodney or their attackers. He was on his feet as quickly as he could considering said feet were attached to legs that didn't want to obey. 

“McKay!” He called out as he spun around to take in their location. “Rodney!” Were their attackers nearby? He didn't see anyone but Teyla and Ronon slowly coming out of their drugged states. There was no ship nearby that was visible. _'What the fuck just happened?'_ he thought. 

“I do not believe he is with us Colonel.” John turned towards her as Teyla was pulling something off of her tac vest. Paper. She read it and handed it sadly to John.

'We have what we came for. Go home.'

John read it 3 times before crumpling it up in his fist. “Dammit!” They took Rodney. John had a murderous look in his eye and Teyla and Ronan knew why. Besides Carson, they were the only other people who knew of his relationship with Rodney and Carson. As a team it would have become obvious at some point so one night John took them all to a team night on the mainland with Carson and explained it to them. They were extremely understanding but then most alien cultures they'd encountered didn't have the same hangups that his planet did about gender or unconventional relationships. John explained the rules of the military and the fact that in Earth culture, while same sex relationships were becoming more accepted, three in a committed relationship was definitely not a standard practice. They agreed to keep their secret and protect Rodney and Carson when John wasn't around. They both knew theirs was an unconventional relationship among the people of Earth. Neither John nor Carson felt the need to explain their roles within the relationship or what they practiced behind closed doors. A lesson on BDSM was not something John wanted to delve into.

“John...” Teyla laid a placating hand on John's shoulder in an attempt to ground him and make him see reason. “We will find him. I promise.” John was shaking under her hand and it took considerable effort to bring himself to a mindset where he could think clearly. He took a deep and shuddering breath and pushed his fears down. He would find Rodney. He had to. 

 

“Ok... ok.. are we still on the same planet?” He tried to remember the layout around the Stargate as he spun around looking for familiar sights. They'd obviously been moved as they went down in the village square and woke up near the gate.

“Yeah, same planet” He could see Ronan was just as angry. “I remember that line of trees over there..” Ronan indicated by pointing his blaster in the direction, “and the mountain behind it. We walked..” he angled his blaster in the opposite direction, “that way to the village.” Ronan was practically bouncing on his heels to head back and see what they could find. 

John was of the same mind. “Ok, we check out the village and then contact Atlantis. I'll want Radek here to see if he can tell what addresses were dialed while we were out.” The walk back to the village was fairly quiet except for the sounds of their breathing and the scrape of their boots through the ground cover. They were all upset at being ambushed and having Rodney taken from them. John could see that Teyla and Ronan were giving him his space and he was thankful for that because right then John was practically seeing red he was so angry. Rodney was his. His to protect and he'd failed to protect him. He tried not to think about what Rodney might be going through at this moment and his anger at himself and their attackers was pretty evenly split right now. He had to concentrate on a rescue mission, he told himself. If he let his emotions overwhelm him he would be no good to Rodney. He took a deep breath as the village came into view and set his mind to finding answers.

They split up in the village to scour through the remains. Rodney's scanner was laying on the ground where they went down and he was grabbed. John picked it up and tucked it away in his vest. One house near the center square where they were ambushed didn't have the same look as the others where it was obvious people left in a hurry. This one looked as if someone had recently been there and used the cooking facilities. Leftover food was fresher than found in the other residences. As they were going through the items it was Teyla who found what they were looking for. She found a jacket bunched up in some bed covers. It was from a Geni uniform.

~~~

Had Rodney not had his head down going over the scanner data he might have seen it coming. He was about to mention the life signs off to their right when his teammates suddenly started to fall. John was reaching for him and had fallen to his knees as Rodney started to help him but before he could grab John's arm, someone grabbed him. As he was spun around he saw Teyla and Ronan out cold. His captor had an iron grip on his arm and he was yanked away from his team and dragged away from where his team went down. A group was coming towards them and he was shoved to the ground in front of them. 

“Hey! Look.. what do you...” He trailed off as he looked up at the man standing in front of him. 

Kolya. 

Dammit it was Kolya. 

Rodney couldn't help but scoot away from him in fear. His last vision of Kolya was through a monitor where he'd just forced a Wraith to feed on John. _'Oh no.'_ Rodney looked back in the direction of John and his team and not seeing them he looked up at Kolya from where he was sprawled and his body went cold. 

“Doctor McKay, so good of you to join us.” 

Kolya had crouched next to Rodney and was studying him intently. Suddenly Rodney felt like one of his own science experiments and he tried not to show how afraid he was by forcing himself to remain still. His eyes flicked up to the Geni soldiers standing around him and he realized that even if he could get to his feet before someone took hold of him, he wasn't likely to get very far. He couldn't hear his team which meant they were all out cold and wouldn't be coming to his rescue any time soon. He thought twice about reaching for his sidearm although his hand itched to reach for it. He'd be shot before he could pull it from his thigh holster. 

Noticing his glance back Kolya smirked down at him. “No, I'm afraid your friends wont be able to help you much right now.” 

“What do you want from us.” Rodney cringed when his voice broke a little at the end.

“Oh I want nothing from them right now.” Kolya said as he angled his chin in the direction of his teammates. “We require your services however.” His smile was beginning to unnerve Rodney and he felt a sick knot in his stomach forming. “You can plan on being in our service for a very long time.” Kolya stood, looked at one of his men and gave the order to bring Rodney. He was hauled up and was stripped of his backpack and tac vest. His hands were pulled roughly behind his back and tied tightly. Someone removed the gun from his thigh holster and he instantly missed its re-assuring weight, useless as it was for him. A blindfold was moved into place over his eyes and before he could say a word, a crude gag was shoved between his teeth and tied behind his head. Thankful that they apparently planned to leave his ankles free he still felt a lurch in his gut as two hands grabbed his arms from either side to guide him away. He felt small and helpless like this and knew he was moving further away from his team and John. 

They walked towards what Rodney could only assume was the Stargate. He heard the gate disengaging as they got closer and part of him was hopeful that it was Atlantis trying to contact them. He could hear the men around him and sense their movement even if he couldn't see any of them and their movements didn't appear to be on alert or agitated. He heard the gate dial and then disengage again and he wondered if some of the Geni soldiers were gating to different worlds than the rest and he cursed the bastards for blindfolding him. Being taken off of this world meant that it would be that much more difficult to be found and not being able to see the gate address meant that if he could get a message to Atlantis somehow he would have to find out where they were taking him. The gate was dialed again and he was yanked forward and through it.

~~~

“In coming wormhole!” Chuck watched the computer for an IDC as the shield automatically engaged in Atlantis. “Colonel Sheppard's IDC.” 

“Lower the shield.” Elizabeth was surprised they were coming back through already. She knew they would be reporting in sometime in the next couple of hours but expected that it would take longer than this to meet the village leaders and begin trade negotiations. As she met them in front of the gate she was barely able to ask why Doctor McKay had stayed behind before John began barking orders.

“I need Radek and a team of marines. We were ambushed by the Geni and Rodney was taken.” The murderous look was back in his eyes again although Elizabeth hadn't been on the planet to see that John was under more control now than when he'd first woken up to find his teammate missing. Elizabeth looked up at Radek who happened to be in the control room and nodded to him. He immediately ascertained why the Colonel would need him and he began gathering the computer and connections he would need to make a connection to the DHD on the planet. 

“The Geni?” Elizabeth followed after John as he and his team headed into the nearby ready room for more ammunition. “But we have an agreement with Ladon.” Always the diplomat, Elizabeth thought that most people could be reasoned with. That agreement with Ladon had been breached on a few occasions and Ladon always seemed to find others to blame. John however wasn't opposed to interrogating Ladon Radim's potentially duplicitous ass if it helped him find Rodney that much quicker. 

“Feel free to get him on the horn and we'll find out if he has any factions that have gone rogue.” John responded using the excuse Ladon had used the last time when Kolya had captured John and fed him to the Wraith, Todd. “But if he refuses to help I will question him myself..... Off world.” He spun away and ordered the marines, who were gearing up, and Radek to the jumper bay. 

Elizabeth knew John's threat was real and she couldn't come up with an argument why he shouldn't. She was also tired of the Geni's duplicity and followed after him.

“John!” She had to shout to get him to stop and he turned as if he expected an argument from her. She raised her eyebrows at him and gave him a look that attempted to remind him that she was still in charge. “What are your plans?” She simply asked.

John's shoulders relaxed minutely when it appeared that she would be on his side this time. After what Kolya had done to him the last time he should have known she wouldn't interfere with anything he had to do to bring Rodney home. 

“We go back to the planet and Radek pulls the last dialed addresses from the DHD.” he said gesturing to Radek who was nearby with an armful of computer and components and John was thankful Rodney's second in command was so quick on the take and knew just what needed to be done without it being spelled out for him. John would be going berserk right now if Elizabeth had forced a briefing instead of letting him have free reign. “I send a few men to check out the village again and when I have addresses to check I'll radio them in to you and send Radek back to research them. Meanwhile I check each and every one, find Rodney and bring him back. The Daedalus is due any time, right? When they get here have them stay in orbit and begin scanning this system for Rodney's subcutaneous transponder.” 

John didn't even give Elizabeth the time to respond but just before he got to the transporter he whirled back around. “And contact Beckett. Let him know what's going on so that he can be ready. If we can't find Rodney through his subcue there's a good chance it's been cut out of him, knowing the Geni.” John's stomach clenched at that thought and he turned towards the transporter at Elizabeth's nod of agreement. It killed John that he couldn't go tell Carson in person but every minute he spent here put Rodney that much further away. He knew Carson would forgive him and while neither he nor Elizabeth had said it out loud he knew they were both worried that Kolya was behind this. Elizabeth nodded at John's retreating back and took a shuddering deep breath as she started towards the infirmary.

~~~

Rodney wondered when the other shoe was going to drop. After arriving on the planet he was escorted to some facility. Underground, it felt like, based on the levels they had descended. What was it with the Geni and their aversion to living on top of a planet? He was pushed onto a stool as someone removed his blindfold and gag, finally, although they left his hands tied. 

Huh, the room was utilitarian but spartan and he couldn't really tell what it was used for. Was he on the Geni home world? His mind grasped that like a drowning man would a life preserver. If he was on the Geni home world then John could find him. Maybe they just wanted to trade him for something. His thoughts were racing and almost didn't hear a man approach him with a scanner of some sort. Based on the way he was dressed it looked as if he were a doctor or healer of some kind. His coat wasn't the white that Carson wore but it had a similar cut and the man had an air about him that suggested that he was a physician of some sort. 

“What.. what are you... is that a scanner? What are you scanning for?” Rodney asked trying to turn and follow the movements of the doctor. Not all that easy with his hands still tied behind his back. The man was annoyingly silent as he continued but when he stopped at Rodney's upper left arm and scanned more thoroughly there Rodney knew what he was looking for. His only way of being beamed up and out of his hell, the easiest way for Atlantis to locate him was his subcutaneous transponder. Not wanting to give away what he was thinking and definitely not wanting to give them any ideas they didn't already have he went still and quieted. The soldier turned off the scanner and looked down at Rodney with a smirk. 

“What!? What do you want?” He tried to raise up off the stool but the hands of another Geni soldier behind him pushed him down as the man with the scanner returned with a knife. 

“Hold him.”

He was grabbed from behind with one arm around his middle and the other went around his neck and he was pulled tightly back against the man who had been behind him, his hands trapped between them. Between the man holding him and another they managed to shift Rodney into a position where the man with the knife was able to slice the sleeve of his jacket from just above his wrist to almost his shoulder. The knife entered his upper arm with no concern for anesthesia or sterilization. Rodney screamed as they cut his transponder out of him. It was fairly shallow and didn't take long but the attack was unexpected and painful and he was left panting through the pain afterwards, slumped against the soldier holding him. They didn't even offer to clean the wound after, just drug him off the stool and down a corridor by his uninjured arm before cutting off the bindings on his wrists and shoving him to the ground into a small cell. 

He watched them lock the metal bar door and walk away with a glare before looking up at his surroundings. 'Typical off world cell' he thought as he scooted away from the door to lean against the stone wall. No water, no bed... nothing. He hoped this was temporary. The sooner they could tell him what they wanted... what had Kolya said back on the planet? Something about in the service of the Geni for a while? Great, well at least that sounded like they weren't planning on killing him any time soon. He moved his right hand to cradle his left arm at the elbow and sighed. Yeah.. but injuries were apparently not off the table he thought as he dropped his head to his chest and tried to calm down a little before they came back for him as he wondered how this day had gone so horribly wrong.

~~~

John couldn't help hovering over Zelenka as he connected with the DHD and downloaded the most recent gate addresses. He knew it was annoying to the man but to Radek's credit he didn't ask the Colonel to back off. Considering how on edge John felt he wouldn't have handled that well. 

“Well? Any addresses that look familiar?” John was hopeful as Radek stowed his cables away and stood. 

“None that I recognize as Geni, Colonel, I'm sorry. You should let me research all of them in ancient database before trying.” 

That wasn't what John wanted to hear and it showed. Radek knew John was re-living the last time he was in one of Kolya's complexes where the wraith, Todd, fed on him and it was killing him that anyone else might just be in the same danger. 

“Ok, fine.” John began dialing Atlantis. “You head back and start researching I'll be back with the rest of the team as soon as I get a report on the village search.” The gate opened up and John sent in his IDC. “I want something when I get back!” he yelled over his shoulder as he left Radek to gate back home and took off towards the village at a run.

~~~

The cell door banged open and startled Rodney. He must have fallen asleep if he hadn't heard three Geni soldiers coming down the hallway. One grabbed him by his uninjured arm and hauled him to his feet.

“It's about time. I need medical attention here.” Rodney blustered as he was led down the hall. “Have you never heard of the Geneva convention?” he muttered. 

He was pushed through a door and forced into a chair in front of a desk. With one Geni soldier keeping him there with a hand on his shoulder and the other two standing behind him he saw that any chance at escaping the room was slim to none so he cradled his left arm and waited for, he assumed, Kolya to come in and tell him what the hell they wanted him for. 

He wasn't kept waiting long. A door to the side of the room opened and Kolya strolled in as if he had all the time in the world and Rodney wasn't sitting there bleeding. 

“Dr. McKay, I trust you are well aware that there is no way for your teammates to track you now.” He smirked down at Rodney as he stood next to his chair. “How's the arm?”

Rodney, not wanting to give Kolya the satisfaction of seeing that he was scared to death, just glared at the man. 

Kolya laughed and walked around to the other side of the desk. “Don't worry Rodney, I'll have one of my doctors fix that for you. Can't work with just one arm, can you?” he sat at the desk and regarded his prisoner for a moment. 

“What do you want Kolya.”

“You. Just you, your talent and that brain of yours. You will serve the Geni from this point on.”

Rodney narrowed his eyes at Kolya. “And what makes you think I'll agree to that?” he said with a lot more bravado that he actually felt. “And when did Ladon let you back into the Geni fold, huh? We have an agreement...”

“I agreed to nothing, Dr. McKay and as for Ladon Radim... he will soon find himself in my position when I take over as the rightful leader of the Geni.” Kolya's voice had raised and he leaned towards Rodney over this desk in such as way that had Rodney wanting to move away from the man.

“What do you want from me.” Rodney's voice sounded tired even to him.

Kolya's hard look softened to a smile that didn't even try to reach those cold eyes and he leaned back in his chair and regarded Rodney with a calculated look. 

“You are an important person on Atlantis, are you not? Now your talents will be mine. You will work at whatever task is assigned to you and I have a very special project for you. One that will give me back my leadership and strike back at John Sheppard and Atlantis.”

“I won't....” Rodney started before he was interrupted.

“Accept this McKay, I can make living conditions beyond miserable for you and I can reward good behavior.”

Kolya almost sounded as if he were offering Rodney a job but he dug in his heels, mentally, and lifted his chin at Kolya. “No, forget it. I won't help you.” _'Just need to stall for time'_ Rodney thought, _'John will find me, just need to stay alive until then.'_

Kolya, with all the arrogance of a man who knew he would get his way stood as if the discussion was over and a foregone conclusion. “ Atlantis won't find you McKay. At least, they won't find the real you. As we speak I'm having your transmitter taken to a recently culled planet where, unfortunately, a few of my men were caught up in the culling. It will be inserted into the arm of a dead man drained by the Wraith and Atlantis will assume... well... I'll leave the rest to your overactive imagination.” Kolya smirked at Rodney and addressed the man holding on to Rodney's shoulder. 

“Take him down to the physician and have his arm stitched and then leave him in the cell I've set up on the lower level.” Looking down at Rodney he smiled. “We'll see how the night goes shall we McKay? And in the morning, after a night of hunger and thirst in that small confined cell, we'll see what concessions you're willing to make for a little food and breathing room. But don't worry, we'll fix your arm for you.”

Rodney paled at his words as Kolya jerked his head towards the door and addressed his men.

“Go.” 

Rodney wanted to resist. Wanted to turn on Kolya and tear him a new one. Wanted to shove a fist into that smirk of his but as he was grabbed by both arms and hauled up their roughness sent a white hot bolt of pain through his arm nearly causing him to stumble and he was helpless to do more than be half dragged out the door and down the hallway. 

The physician's room was a painful distance from Kolya's office and down a flight of stone steps. Rodney tried to pay attention to the layout and he wondered just how far underground they were. His breathing sped up a bit at that thought but so far the rooms weren't too small and closed in and it helped him trick his mind into thinking it was just a complex without windows. 

There was a small bed in the room surrounded by cabinets and a small desk. The men holding Rodney pushed him onto the bed. They stood guard over him and Rodney glared at the men through his pain until a man Rodney assumed was also a doctor walked in. 

He went straight to Rodney and looked him in the eye. “If you fight me while I try to fix your arm I'll have you restrained to the bed as tightly as it takes for me to finish my work.” He waited until he saw Rodney nod almost imperceptibly and then turned to a nearby table to set out what he would need to stitch the wound. Turning the doctor nodded to one of the soldiers and told him to remove Rodney's jacket. The action wasn't done with any care and had Rodney breathing deep gasping breaths as he gritted his teeth against the pain it caused. The doctor worked quickly and appeared to know what he was doing even if he wasn't very careful and the stitching was almost as painful as the initial wound. His thoughts went to Carson and how, despite Rodney's penchant for calling him Dr. Voodoo, Carson was always very careful with Rodney's injuries. Thinking of Carson put a knot in his gut and he wanted nothing more than to be in the infirmary on Atlantis and in Carson's arms. Rodney's eyes began to fill with tears as much for the longing for Carson and John, home and safety as for the pain the doctor was causing. He caught himself though and blinked them back, refusing the allow these men to see them fall. If he showed too much weakness who knows how they could exploit that and by the time he'd gained control of his emotions the doctor was applying a bandage over the stitching before walking away. Rodney was about to ask if he had something for the pain when one of his guards yanked him off the bed by his un-injured arm and began to lead him out of the room. He resisted at first, pulling back until he came up against the other guard and his injured arm was grabbed as well. He nearly went to his knees at the pain it caused and decided if he didn't want to end up strapped to a bed while Kolya's physician fixed pulled out stitches with even less care he should probably just go quietly. 

At the third level down Rodney started to panic at the thought of how far underground they might be. The walls were becoming rougher, not like the smooth concrete that made up the upper floors. At the bottom of the staircase the hallway was much shorter than the previous levels and looked like a bad prison movie. Rodney gaped at the row of about 6 small cells with actual iron bars for doors. They pushed him into the middle cell on the right and before he could even turn around the door was slammed shut and locked. 

_'No no no no.. .'_ Rodney thought. _'They can't.. .I can't..'_ He yelled at the guards as they started back up the stairs. “You can't leave me here!”

“Hey! Get Kolya now!”

Rodney's jacket sailed down the stairs landing in a heap at the bottom. One of the guards must have grabbed it when they took him from the physicians office. The door at the top of the landing shut and Rodney was alone in the silence.

~~~

The search of the village turned up very little in the way of clues as to exactly who took Rodney or why. There was nothing in or on the Geni jacket that identified its owner and they'd gone through every building in the village. John and the Marine team gated back to Atlantis after John posted a 3 man team near the gate on the planet to be rotated out every 4 hours just in case someone came back who might lead them to McKay. 

The minute he stepped in the gate room John asked if there had been any contact. Chuck shook his head sadly. “No sir, nothing yet but the Daedalus is in orbit and beginning their scans of this system.” John deflated a little but he didn't really expect a different answer. He saw that Carson was with Elizabeth in her office and he headed there. 

They both looked up as he entered, Elizabeth's eyes hopeful and Carson's pained at what John might report. 

“There's nothing on the planet that tells us who took McKay or where they might have taken him. How's Radek making out on those gate addresses?” John was practically vibrating with the need to be actively searching, doing something that would bring Rodney back safely. 

Before Elizabeth could answer Carson stepped towards John. “John, I know you need to find Rodney but you were attacked and drugged. Teyla and Ronan have already seen me and I need at least 10 minutes of your time for a blood sample and quick exam.” 

“Carson I don't have...” 

“Colonel, as the CMO of this facility I must insist.” 

Carson's body language matched Johns and he was not backing down. John knew Carson could be just as dominant as he was when it suited him and right now, it appeared that John was not going to get out of his post mission exam. He let out a sigh and realized that the quicker they got this over with the quicker he could get back to his search for Rodney.

“Fine. You have 10 minutes.” John turned to Elizabeth. “I want Radek up here in 10 with a report on those gate addresses, I don't care if he's finished or not.” 

Elizabeth watched the men hurry out of the office and she tapped her headset. “Radek, come in...”

~~~

Carson led John to the isolation room in the infirmary where he'd obviously set up in advance knowing John would be a less than willing patient who wouldn't stand for any delay in his search and rescue mission. John's irritation lessened at the knowledge that Carson was just doing his job and he was obviously just as anxious to get John back out there in the search. 

As John gamely climbed up on the exam table and watched Carson prepare to draw a couple of vials of blood he felt the need to comfort his friend and lover. 

“Carson I..” John began. 

“John, I need to know what you saw. How was he the last time you saw him? I know what Teyla and Ronan told me but we both know you would have had a unique perspective on his well being.” The look on Carson's face was absolute anguish and John realized there was a secondary reason for the iso room. While they each had jobs to do, they also needed to have this discussion and the further from any prying eyes and ears the better for them both. 

“We went down fast. Never saw it coming.” John sighed in frustration and Carson recognized the onset of Johns self flagellation at what he perceived as failing to protect Rodney. 

“John, you couldn't have known.” Carson finished drawing his blood and moved on to checking his vitals. 

John steeled his emotions because no one was going to convince him that he didn't fail a member of his team and a man that he loved. “Something hit me in the neck... like a dart maybe? It was gone when I woke up but whatever drug it had been laced with was fast acting. I turned towards him. Tried to reach him.” Carson's hands stilled as John recalled the attack. “My vision was greying out but I saw Teyla and Ronan going down but Rodney was still standing. Just as I was falling I saw someone grab hold of him.” 

Carson let out a shuddering sigh at that and John finally looked up to meet his eyes. “I don't think Rodney was drugged like we were.” 

Putting his medical implements away Carson was visibly shaken and John could see he was forcing himself to hold it together and do his job without letting his personal feelings for either John or Rodney get in the way and John could empathize with the man. “Aye, well... I'm going over the blood samples from Teyla and Ronan and I'll add yours as well. I'll find out what it was but observing both Teyla and Ronan I don't see any after effects that overly concern me so you're cleared for duty John.” Carson said as he looked up at John with sad eyes. “Please go find him and bring both of yourselves back.” 

John glanced at the closed door before reaching a hand up to catch Carson's face and pull him in for a kiss. It was quick and full of promise and he leaned his head against Carson's temple. “I promise. Carson, the Daedalus is in orbit scanning for his transponder. When we find him...” John refused to use the word 'if'. “..when we find him it will be the quickest way to reach his location. I'd like you to be on it and ready.” John pulled back to look at Carson.

“Aye.” Carson agreed readily. “I'll be ready John. Go find him. And stay alive in the process.”

~~~

Rodney tried to hang onto his anger. It was much easier to manage that than the helpless fear he felt trying to creep into his mind. Staring at his out of reach jacket while he was shivering helped keep the anger in the forefront of his mind. He'd yelled for a while, shook the bars of the door and even tried to reach the lock on the outside to see if it was one he could pick or manipulate but all that got him was tired and drained of energy. It was when he stopped to look around his cell that the cold started to creep in. It wasn't very big, just slightly bigger than a walk-in closet back on Earth. There was a cot opposite the door with no padding and no blanket and a bucket in the corner. He could only guess at what it's purpose was since there was no water in the cell. At least it was something. He made use of it and then sat down on the cot, staring at his crumpled and bloody jacket while running his hand up and down his uninjured arm trying to warm up. There was a single bulb in the hallway and no windows so he had no idea what time of day it was. Curling up against the wall was a mistake as the cold from the rough stone seeped in through his t-shirt. He tried to envision that the building was on top of the surface because if he thought about how far underground he might be his claustrophobia would kick in full force and it was difficult enough keeping it at bay as it was. In the end, as the anger bled away and the fear began to win over all the other emotions warring within him, he curled up on the cot as much as he could where he could keep his jacket in sight. Rodney closed his eyes at the fear and the weak feeling from not having eaten in a while and hoped his hypoglycemia wouldn't render him unconscious by the time Kolya saw fit to feed him and thought of John and Carson. 

He whispered to himself as he willed John to hear him, “John... please find me.”

~~~

As John headed towards Elizabeth's office he was angry to see Radek wasn't there yet but before he could demand his whereabouts the object of his anger practically ran into the office from the control room. 

“What do you have?” To Radeks credit he didn't cower at Johns tone and instead handed a tablet to John. 

“I've finished cross checking all of the addresses pulled. None are to known Geni worlds.” He looked at John's expression and hurried through his report. “We are unfamiliar with 3 of them and the database was not helpful. Do not send team through without sending M.A.L.P first.” Looking up at John's angered expression he gulped but soldiered on in his explanation. “Please, Colonel I must caution you.... these could be space gates for all we know.” 

John took a deep breath and willed down his instinct to head off and just hit each world with a fresh team of Marines until he found Rodney as he forced himself into a mindset that was more tactical in thinking and less emotional. 

“And the others?”

Looking at Elizabeth for support Radek continued. “There were 7 worlds dialed after Colonel Sheppard's team gated there and before gating back. The other 4 are known to us.” John scrolled through the data pad and recognized the world Ford once wanted to name the “Waterfall planet”. 

Turning away from the two John paced back and forth in front of the desk reading the results on the tablet as he thought of the best and most efficient way to command this rescue mission. “If it's Geni then we have to assume they'll operate underground. It's their MO. So that rules out M1K-439.”

Elizabeth moved to John's side to study the tablet. “The planet with the waterfalls?” She questioned. “Why rule that one out?”

It was Radek who supplied the answer. “Water table on that planet would not allow for much in the way of underground building.” 

“We've been to the other three worlds for trading.” John supplied while pointing them out to Elizabeth. “I know the layout of most of this one.” He said jabbing his finger at one address. “But...” John trailed off as he looked towards the control room. “Assuming we weren't out for too long, and the fact that Rodney's life signs detector said there weren't very many people in our vicinity, I can only assume it was the Geni who dialed out seven times before we dialed in.” John turned towards Elizabeth. “Why?”

Realization crossed Elizabeth's face as she looked back and forth between the two men. “Are the Geni aware that we can access this type of information from a DHD?” 

“Or did they think they might have been observed?” John added. “But they couldn't possibly think we'd let them take any member of the expedition off like that without interference.” 

Radek was shaking his head. “No. I am thinking that they are simply overly podezřelý.” he muttered.  
“Uh, suspicious.” he clarified. “Their reasons may number both?” he supplied. Taking his tablet back from John's unresisting hands he pushed his glasses back up into place. “ I will begin setting M.A.L.P up for the first 3 worlds, Colonel.” 

As Radek hurried out of the office John turned back to Elizabeth. “I'm taking a team to the one I'm most familiar with but I'm setting up two more teams to hit the other two. I want Teyla leading one and Ronan heading the other.” John knew he could trust his team to move heaven and earth to find their missing teammate but he also knew that they knew just how much Rodney meant to John. “Have Radek get on those 3 unknown planets, I want all the info he can get by the time we get back if we aren't able to find McKay.” 

John headed out the office but pulled up short at the door as his hand hit the frame stopping his exit and he turned back towards Elizabeth. He'd been running the show from the moment he got back and mentally he knew she was giving him this. Letting him take control wasn't something she usually did but she had a knack for seeing things.. reading people and he realized that she must have known he needed this and for that he was grateful to her. “Elizabeth....” he started. 

“Bring him back, John.” She simply said and nodded to him. 

John swallowed around the lump in his throat and let his eyes say all the thanks that he was feeling before turning and heading to set up the three rescue parties.

~~~

As cold as he was Rodney didn't think he'd get much sleep that night. If in fact it was night, it was hard to tell just how much time had passed since they were ambushed on that planet. He didn't even remember coming close to falling asleep until he was suddenly woken up by the slamming open of his prison door and a guard hauling him bodily up by his shirt. 

“Wha....” was all he was able to get out before being thrown against the wall off to the side of his cell. He hit hard and landed in a heap. He managed to register that the light that was on in the hallway was now dark and he could barely see who his attacker was, with the only light coming in from the open door at the top of the stairs. In the split second his mind took to decide whether or not he should get up and try to at least deflect whatever was coming his way he felt the boot slam into his stomach. Ok, he thought, stay down. He tried to cover his ribs and his middle in general but the blows came too fast and he had the stone wall at his back, trapped between it and the boot of his attacker. He went face down on the floor as his attacker paused and tried to breath through the pain. Hoping the attack was over and wouldn't get worse he wondered if he had it in him to feign unconsciousness. No chance of that though as he writhed through the pain. For a long minute he lay there knowing the man was standing right next to him as he just tried to breathe. A strong grip grabbed his injured left arm and hauled him up as he was shoved against the stone wall. His head hit the stone hard and he saw stars instead of the face of his attacker but the stars increased as he was backhanded across the jaw and to the ground. He registered the sound of the door slamming shut before he fully came around enough to see that the hallway light was back on and he was alone again. 

Rodney picked himself up from the floor and slowly made his way back to the cot in the cell. The nights beating appeared to be over and he dropped himself on it gingerly as he attempted to assess the damages. His face was throbbing and he tasted blood at his lip. His ribs hurt terribly but upon further inspection they didn't feel broken. Internal bleeding was always a possibility but not one he could assess himself so that would have to remain to be seen. He could only assume that this was Kolya's way of showing him just how much he was in charge. A way to force him to cooperate. Ok, fine.... point to Kolya, Rodney thought. His vision went again to his jacket still in the hallway although kicked further away now. He lowered himself down onto the cot and tried to control his breathing and waited for the next shoe to drop that night. 

Rodney woke to the sound of the door opening at the top of the stairway. He immediately feared the worst but it wasn't like he was in a position to jump up and defend himself against what he was put through during the night. If in fact it was morning.... he had no way of knowing or judging time with no windows. He did manage to sit up a bit, leaning on one elbow while his injured arm cradled his ribs as a Geni soldier opened the door. He was carrying a tray and the soldier set the tray just inside the cell door on the floor before backing out and shutting the cell door and simply leaving the prison hallway. 

“Where's the coffee!” 

No answer. And not surprising as Rodney surveyed the contents of the tray. There was barely enough food there to keep a mouse going and here he was beginning to feel the effects of his hypoglycemia. 

“Jackasses!” 

Tempting as it was to stage a hunger strike he knew damned well that Kolya wouldn't give a damn. It was his job to stay alive until his team... until John.. could find him so he reached for the tray and ate the bread and whatever their attempt at gruel or oatmeal was. At least there was a cup of water. He'd deal with the caffeine headache when it hit later. 

The meal barely made a dent in his hunger and as he sat back against the wall on his cot he recalled what Kolya said to him however long ago.... _“We'll see how the night goes shall we McKay? And in the morning, after a night of hunger and thirst in that small confined cell, we'll see what concessions you're willing to make for a little food and breathing room."_ So.. Kolya meant to break him a little with the cell and the beating and barely enough food to keep his strength up. Ok, at least he knew the score. He forced his panic down a bit and waited for Kolya to show his face.

~~~

John paced the room where he and his team was told to wait. It galled him to be forced to be diplomatic right now but if Ladin Radim had any knowledge of Rodney's whereabouts... hell, he'd even be willing to beg the man at this point. Every hour that went by meant another hour that Rodney could be suffering at the hands of whoever had taken him and the planet he'd been to first had given him no leads on Rodney. John knew that whomever it was, even if it was Kolya, wanted Rodney for his mind and what he could do for them. They weren't likely to kill him unless Rodney fought them any. John had drilled it into every member of the Atlantis expedition and most especially his team that you did what you had to do to stay alive until you could be rescued. He prayed to any and all deities that McKay remembered that. His radio clicked and John walked to the furthest point in the room before answering.

“Report.”

_“Sir, we've surveyed the immediate complex. No sign of Dr. McKay's transponder and no lifesigns away from the city that we can see.”_

“Head back to the gate and contact Atlantis. See if Teyla or Ronan's team has had any leads. Radio back if you have something. Sheppard out.” John turned back to the room, ready to go find Ladon himself when the man walked into the room. More angry than he'd ever been he crossed the room in 4 strides and loomed over the man so that Ladon had to look up at John. 

“We need to talk.” John spat out, his expression leaving no doubt as to how the conversation was going to go and whom would be in charge. “And I will have answers before I leave.” 

Ladon hadn't seen John so angry since after Kolya fed him to a wraith when Elizabeth refused to trade Ladon to Kolya to stop it. He knew his best move was to acquiesce to Johns' dominance rather than attempt to demand respect on his own turf. 

“Have a seat” Ladon gestured to his desk and the chair in front of it. “I assume you think the Geni has wronged you in some way Colonel Sheppard? If so I can assure you that we have been peacefully working on advancing our society here, on this planet. We've not ventured out beyond a bit of trading.”

“Is that so?” John had refused to sit preferring to stand over Ladon. “Then maybe you can explain why we were ambushed and one of my team kidnapped on a recently culled planet.” John's hand gripped his firearm still hanging from his tac vest, Ladon couldn't help noticing.

“Ambushed? And you just assume it was...”

“One of you left behind the jacket of a Geni uniform.” John reached back to one of his team and snapped his fingers. The Geni jacket was handed to him and he dropped it onto Ladon's desk as proof. 

Ladon looked from the jacket on his desk to John. “John I can assure you that my men are all accounted for.” He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the anger that he knew would be directed at him. “But as you know, there is only one man and his small faction that are unaccounted for and not under my control.” Ladon stood and looked back down at the jacket and picked it up to look closer at it before looking up at John. “So Kolya has Doctor McKay?” Ladon surmised quietly before dropping the jacket and sitting back down. He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his face before looking back up at John and nearly flinching at the flashing anger in his eyes he wasn't even trying to hide. “John, I will help you find him. My resources are yours. And if you do...” he trailed off. “I'll even help you kill him.”

~~~

Rodney had almost dropped back to sleep as the hours passed from the time he was last fed. He was hungry and could feel himself getting weak as his hypoglycemia threatened to become a problem. The sweating and shakes were just the beginning and Rodney began to fear that Kolya would take his little 'torture the prisoner' bit too far until Rodney fell into a hypoglycemic coma that no Geni doctor could fix. “That would serve him right.” he muttered to himself as he curled tighter around his aching midsection. He longed to hear the door to the cells burst open and see his team rush in. Ronan's blaster would destroy the door lock and John would rush in first and kneel down at his side, hands checking him over as Teyla stood watch in the hallway, gun at the ready. John would help him up and and out of there as he and his team passed by the bodies of dead Geni soldiers as they surfaced. The last Geni face he would see would be Kolya's, face up and eyes open in death as John put yet another bullet into him as they passed by. He could see it so clearly. When the door to the cells did open he was hopeful for all of the seconds it took for Kolya to walk to the door of Rodney's cell. He stood there looking at Rodney on the cot, curled as he was while cradling his ribs. 

“I put in an order for coffee hours ago, you know the service here really sucks.” As frightened as Rodney was he couldn't help but be a little snarky as he rolled to his back and put his right arm over his eyes in an attempt to ignore Kolya. He knew the next shoe was about to drop and his stomach threatened to drop right along with it. 

Rodney couldn't help but sneak a look when Kolya snapped his fingers though and the smell of meat and vegetables reached him. Someone handed Kolya a bowl that was still steaming and Rodney couldn't help but watch as Kolya began to eat. 

“If you are ready to cooperate...” Kolya began between bites. “I have something for you to look at. Ascertain that it is what my scientists believe it is and I'll order a bowl for you. You must be hungry after last night.” 

Rodney so wanted to just roll over, ignore the man and wait for rescue but he knew Kolya would never allow that. He'd have him beaten again and starve him even more and would most likely kill him before John could find him. No, he had to play along. He could play the victim for Kolya, pretend to help while biding his time until he was rescued. 

“Yes, well beatings do tend to make me hungry I suppose.” Rodney rolled over to a sitting position and stood while holding his injured arm across his injured ribs. He hated that he couldn't stand up as straight as he wished and his shaking was visible to Kolya. 

Handing the bowl off to one of his men Kolya unlocked the door to Rodney's cell himself and gestured for Rodney to follow the man Kolya had brought down to the cells with him. 

His jacket that he'd been watching was nowhere to be seen but his hypoglycemia was about to make its presence known as he felt the sweat break out on his forehead and his thoughts slipped from one to another. 

By the time they had reached the level that was Kolya's destination Rodney was shaking like a leaf and his earlier bit of bread and broth was threatening to make a reappearance. 

The room Kolya led him into held a table and a device that was decidedly Ancient looking. His instinctive scientific curiosity got the better of him and he couldn't help but examine the device. His hunger and shaking wasn't completely forgotten however but not only was he curious, the faster he determined what it was the sooner Kolya would feed him something. 

“My pack, the one your goons took from me back in the village? I have a tablet in there that would help me....” Rodney trailed off at the look in Kolya's eyes. “Look if you want to know what it is the fastest way is to interface my tablet with the device.” Shaking as he was Rodney stood his ground and kept eye contact with the man. Kolya looked Rodney up and down as if to determine threat he posed if he gave him the device before clicking his fingers to one of the men in the room. Rodney was surprised to see his tablet appear right away which meant Kolya knew he might have use of it. As he handed it to Rodney though he held on to his side of it. “If I even suspect you are attempting anything but what I ask you to do...” Kolya said in a low voice as he leaned forward almost pushing Rodney back, “I will throw you in an even smaller underground cell on a distant planet and make sure you die slowly as I record every moment and then I will send the footage to Atlantis along with your rotted body.” Kolya let go of the tablet and pushed Rodney back in the process. 

Taking the tablet with shaking hands Rodney gestured to the general area where the tablet came from. “The cables too?” he asked tentatively, relieved when they appeared as well. He made quick work of connecting the tablet to the device and thumbing through the program he used on unknown tech. Kolya of course was crowding him the whole time, looking over his shoulder at the screen. Much as Rodney wanted to shove him away not only did he lack the strength he believed Kolya would follow through with his threat if he did. 

As Rodney became aware of just what it was he was looking at he drew in a shaky breath. “A laser.” he said turning to Kolya, his tablet held against his chest. “A weapon's grade, high powered laser.” 

Kolya yanked the tablet from Rodney's hand and smiled down at him. “Just as my people assumed”. 

“Take him back to his cell and feed him.” Kolya snapped at one of his men. “Just enough to stop the shaking though.” he said with a smirk down at Rodney. 

Glaring at Kolya Rodney went with the Geni soldier without a fight.

~~~

“Colonel Sheppard's IDC!” 

John entered the gateroom and headed straight for Elizabeth's office. Before he was at the top of the stairs the gate flared to life again. “Teyla's IDC!” Chuck called out. Seeing Ronan in the office with Elizabeth John headed straight in. He knew Teyla would follow. 

“Report” John said as soon as they were all in the room. 

“No one on the planet I went to had any information.” Ronan said. He didn't go into much in the way of details, he never did but John was sure he was quite thorough in his questioning. As intimidating he knew Ronan could be he knew Teyla was equally as diplomatic and he turned to her for her report. 

“I also found no one who had seen Doctor McKay nor the Geni recently. No unusual activity near the gate either.” Where Ronan was vibrating with anger and the need for physical action, Teyla radiated sadness at her lack of progress.

“Ladon assures me none of his people were involved.” John started. 

“You sure he's telling the truth?” 

John didn't blame Ronan for his suspicion. “Well he offered Geni resources to help locate McKay and...” he paused and looked straight at Elizabeth, “he offered to help kill Kolya when we find him.” 

“Are we sure Ladon isn't using Rodney to get to Kolya with our help?” Elizabeth directed the question to John as she leaned forward on her desk. “It wouldn't be the first time he's done something like that considering how his coup began.”

John recalled how Ladon tricked them with a dead ZPM but he couldn't afford misplaced anger at this point. 

“No. I intimidated the hell out of him and demanded the right to search his facility. He didn't object once. He's currently sending a few reconnaissance teams out to locations that Kolya may frequent and promised he would give any information to us. Look, what's the Daedalus found with their scans?” John knew he would have heard right away but he had to ask. 

“Nothing as of yet.” Carson said as he walked into the office. “I just came back from setting up in the Daedalus's infirmary with a couple of my people. I checked with Colonel Caldwell before beaming back down. I take it there's been no luck as of yet?” He directed the question to John and John could tell Carson was just barely holding it together. 

“Nothing yet but I want to join Ladon's search.”

“John, don't you think...”

“Look..” John said interrupting Elizabeth, “Ladon and his men will have a better idea of where Kolya might go. Ronan, Teyla and I are going.” John knew he didn't have to ask his team. They would do whatever it took to help him find McKay.

~~~

Rodney was shoved back into his cell and as he fell on the cot he winced at the pain in his ribs. Not broken, thankfully as he didn't feel them shift any. As he leaned up on his good right arm to sit up another guard came into view with a bowl. The guard set it on the floor just inside the door and slammed the cell door shut before they both left. Rodney was too hungry to protest being treated like a dog in a kennel and eagerly brought the bowl back to his cot. He knew eating slowly would ensure it would stay in his stomach better than eating as quickly as he wanted so he forced himself to stick to the broth for the first three quick bites. Breathing as deep as his pained ribs would let him, he waited for his stomach to settle before trying the meat. With his last bite he wondered just how far they were going to go with this tactic. They had no clue just how his hypoglycemia would affect this particular torture technique and hoped they didn't kill him with it accidentally. By the time Kolya came back down the shaking had stopped and he wasn't as nauseous as he'd been. 

Standing outside of his cell door Kolya stared down at him. “How was dinner?” 

Rodney glared up at him. “Not bad for a last meal because if you think I'm going to help you make that laser operational... give you a weapon to use against Atlantis... you may as well kill me now.” Rodney used as much bravado as he could in his position behind the bars of a cell and sitting curled around his injured ribs but by the smirk he was receiving from the other man he knew the threat didn't carry much weight with Kolya. 

“Is that so?” Kolya regarded Rodney with a cock of his head and Rodney didn't like the look he saw in his eyes as Kolya turned and left the cells. 

Rodney let out a breath as the door closed behind Kolya. He knew that was going to cost him, he just didn't know how... yet. He noticed that someone had emptied the bucket in the corner of the room so he made use of that again and lay back down on the cot to wait for Kolya's next move.

~~~

John hoped like hell Ladon wasn't leading him and his team into a trap but when he'd contacted them regarding a planet that his men had found evidence of Kolya having used recently he had his team along with a few marines and Carson beam up to the Daedalus. He didn't want to gate directly to the unknown planet and it killed him that the time it would take for the Daedalus to arrive was that much more time that Rodney was in danger but the Daedalus offered more resources and had the added bonus of being able to beam Rodney away if they found him. Carson busied himself in the infirmary, Colonel Caldwell had instructed his infirmary team to give Carson full control for the mission, and John knew that Carson needed the work to keep his mind focused and not dwell on the 'what if's'.  
The planet was just a few hours trip for the Daedalus and Carson had all but forced John, Teyla and Ronan to sleep for a little bit. They had needed it, John could concede that much, he knew he was running on fumes and Carson had threatened to sedate them all if they didn't. The added admonishment that they wouldn't be at the top of their game to help Rodney once they arrived was what did it for John. Teyla and Ronan headed off to their assigned quarters and John to his. He sat down on the bed and lowered his head into his hands as he wondered how the hell he was going to sleep as worried as he was about Rodney when the door to his quarters opened and Carson came in. 

“I've left Dr. Brio in charge for the next few hours and told them I was going to rest a bit myself after looking in on the three of you.” He said as he shed his coat, took the radio out of his ear and made a pile on the desk in the room of the various medical items that were in his pockets. Carson turned and looked at John, still sitting on the bed with a lost look in his eyes. 

John looked up at Carson through bloodshot eyes. “There's no way I can sleep Carson. I just don't know...” He dropped his head as in defeat and made no move to lie down. 

Knowing what might settle John, Carson continued undressing. Once he was down to just his boxers he moved to kneel at John's feet and began removing the man's boots. “Stand up and lose the uniform John, let me help you relax. Rodney will need you relaxed and thinking straight and until I have him safe in my infirmary and under my care, this is what I can do for both of you.” As he talked Carson had maneuvered John's shirt off and John stood to work on his pants, Carson helping to strip them off. John was moving as if by instinct as Carson pulled the covers back from the bed and led John to lie down. Carson slid in beside him and brought him back against his chest, John's head resting on one of Carson's arms where he could pull him in and Carson's other arm reached around to stroke skin where ever he could reach in an attempt to soothe and ground John. After a few minutes John let out a sigh and melted a bit back against Carson allowing him more access to his body. Carson rubbed circles on John's chest and kissed the back of his neck while whispering soothing words. He'd thought that John had fallen asleep, quiet as he was until John turned to face him and putting his arms around Carson, drew the man to him and burying his face in Carson's neck. He let out a shuddering breath and held on as if Carson were a life preserver and he a drowning man. Carson kissed his forehead and temple and continued down the side of his face as John's hand stroked his back. Knowing what John needed Carson rolled them over to where John was below him and kissed him with every ounce of dominance in him. A hard kiss that refused to take no for an answer. Carson brought his knees up on either side of John's hips and rubbed his cock against John's, feeling the other man grow hard. Raising up Carson took John's wrists and held them down on the bed beside John's head as he continued to kiss down John's face to his neck. John whimpered at the sensation and thrust his hips up against Carson. When Carson knew that John wouldn't argue with his plans he released John's wrists, sat up and pulled John's boxers from him. John was hard and leaking and Carson swallowed him down. John let out a soft grunt at the sensation of being in Carson's mouth and thrust up. Knowing what John needed, Carson let him thrust up into his mouth as much as he needed, letting John fuck his mouth this way until he was coming. Carson gentled him through the climax and aftershocks and held him in his mouth until John began to soften before rising up and pulling the blanket over them both and held John once more. In the next breath John was asleep.

~~~

Rodney wondered how long it would take before Kolya decided what torture to use on him for his last bit of defiance. He didn't have to wait long. Shortly after Rodney had lay back down on the cot, the door at the top of the stairs opened. Two guards and Kolya came down, the guards entered the cell next to Rodney's as Kolya stood smirking down at him. Rodney had sat up, expecting another beating but from the sounds in the next cell, he had no idea what to expect. Kolya just standing there saying nothing was unnerving for Rodney as he shifted under the other man's intense gaze. 

“Have you decided to let me go yet?” Rodney knew he hadn't but it was worth a shot as he tried to push down the rising panic he was feeling at what they might do to him next. The two guards were back and opening his cell door and Rodney didn't even have time to stand before they grabbed hold of him and pulled him out. “What? Where are we going.” Rodney's panic was practically in his throat now and his voice portrayed it. Kolya just smiled at him. “Not far, Rodney. Not far at all.” The guards turned him towards the entrance to the cell next to him. Inside was a hatch of some kind made of metal and open. It was dark inside and Rodney's terror increased ten fold at the sight and realization at what they had planned for him. 

“No! No no no! Please... don't!” He struggled against the guards but with his injuries and lack of food he lacked strength was helpless against them. 

“You can tell me in the morning your decision to work.... or die, McKay.” With a nod of his head he told the guards, “Put him in.” 

“No! You can't do this!” His struggles didn't help him much as the guards easily pushed him into the hole. The drop wasn't far enough down to cause him much harm but he knew as he looked up in horror that he wouldn't be able to reach it when he stood. Kolya leaned over the opening. “Have a look at your new cell while you can. Once this closes you won't be able to see much.” Kolya taunted him from above. 

Rodney didn't want to take his eyes off the light in the room above but he did steal a quick look to see what the hole contained. It was a rock and dirt floor with rock walls. Nothing more than a hole in the ground and it was obvious they planned to leave him in it until he broke and said he'd work for them. His mind was racing. He couldn't survive here, they were practically burying him alive. His breathing was shallow and knew he had no choice. 

“Ok! You win... I'll... “ The hatch slammed closed, shutting out the light and cutting off Rodney's agreement. He stared in horror at where he could last see the door. “Oh no!... NO YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE!” No one responded to his cries. Was this the cell Kolya had promised he would die in if he didn't cooperate? He was well and truly underground now and his panic overtook him. He curled up into a fetal position and shook, his mind racing and his breathing fast and shallow as he slowly fell apart.

~~~

Teyla and Ronan were already on the bridge of the Daedalus when John arrived. When he'd woken up Carson was already gone but the bed was still warm where he'd lain. John woke with the memory of Carson's mouth on him, giving him the release of a climax before holding him and gentling him into the sleep he so desperately needed. John realized that he hadn't returned the favor and allowed himself a few moments to ponder the other man's selflessness, loving him that much more for it, before grabbing a very fast shower and dressing. 

“John.” Teyla turned towards him as he entered the bridge area. They were both geared up already and John was glad to see that they'd all come prepared to be beamed down to the surface when they arrived. “Colonel Caldwell says that we are just a few moments from the planet.” She handed him a mug of coffee and a half a sandwich from the mess knowing that he wouldn't have thought to eat something before he came to check that they were on schedule. Grateful for her foresight he thanked her and ate the sandwich in just a few bites, not even realizing how hungry he was until that first bite. John was thankful that Caldwell was keeping silent on the issue of food on the bridge and John had drained half the cup before telling Teyla a sincere 'thank you'. 

“Colonel Sheppard, we'll be coming out of hyperspace in a few moments. Our scans are at your disposal at that point.” 

“Thank you, sir.” John said, Caldwell wasn't conceding his bridge to him, John knew, but he was letting John call the shots on the rescue operations. 

Caldwell turned to his second in command, “Johnson, I want shields ready and a secondary scan for other ships in orbit.”

“Aye sir. We have arrived. Coming out of hyperspace.” The lieutenant announced. 

John watched the blue/green of hyperspace end as a planet came into view. “Scan the planet for Doctor McKay's subcue lieutenant. Scan both the surface and underground.”

It was a few moments before the lieutenant said the words he was hoping to hear. “Found it sir. Setting the coordinates in the computer and sending it to your scanner.”

“Put us in ego-sychronous orbit with his transmission.” Caldwell ordered. “Are you detecting any ships in the area?”

“No sir, beginning a search of lifesigns. Doctor McKay's transmission is in an outdoor location I'm detecting a few buildings nearby.”

John turned to another tech on the bridge, “Prepare to beam us down as close to his location as possible.” The tech nodded and began entering the coordinates into the Asgard system. 

“Sir.” Johnson addressed John, lines of concentration around his eyes. “I'm not picking up lifesigns.” He looked up sadly and John felt a punch in his gut threatening to bring his sandwich back up. 

“Keep searching, they could be shielded. If you don't detect a force field of any kind, beam us to his location.” John ordered. 

The bridge of the Daedalus gave way to a forest like setting. They brought their guns up instantly but the area was quiet. A few feet from John's position was dead Geni soldier next to what looked like a villager and he walked over to the bodies his gut churning once again. 

“Wraith.” Ronon simply stated as he came to stand by John. “John, this village has been culled.” He said quietly, Ronan's distress only visible in the hand he'd placed on John's shoulder. 

“No.” Teyla said forcefully. “We are not giving up. John, where is the signal?” 

John yanked the scanner from it's location on his tac vest with determination, holding on to Teyla's words. He couldn't be too late. He just couldn't. 

“This way.”

It was a barn like structure the signal led them to. They slowly entered the building. It was John who saw, in the dim light, the shape of two bodies by the far wall. He turned the light on his p90 on the same time that Teyla did and took a quick look around the inside and led the other two towards them. His mind was spinning and his chest was beginning to freeze up the closer they got. _'No, no, please no... don't be...'_ his mind chanted over and over. As the light from his p90 reached the first body he froze at the sight of the familiar jacket. It was torn and bloody. As the light moved towards Rodney's face all hope drained out of John and he barely heard Teyla's gasp and Ronan's yell of anger. 

Rodney had been drained by a wraith. 

John fell to his knees as something inside of him died right there alongside the man he loved. Tears fell down his face as he bent his head down to the ground next to Rodney. “I'm so sorry... oh Rodney I'm so sorry.” He whispered, sending the message up to wherever might just reach his lover, wherever he was now. 

“John.” Teyla's voice was thick with emotion and she waited for John to raise his head. She had tears streaking down her beautiful face. Behind him, Ronan was breathing heavily, full of anger he was trying to control while giving John the moment he needed. “We must have Doctor McKay removed to the Daedalus.” She said, her voice breaking a little. 

John didn't move, his eyes going back to the man he loved. He couldn't say the words. He knew she was right but all he could do was look at how badly he'd failed Rodney. He was lost and broken and he was no longer Colonel John Sheppard, military commander of Atlantis. He was John Sheppard, the man who failed someone who counted on him to protect them. 

John felt Teyla and Ronan move away. He heard a quiet discussion that he didn't focus on. Heard the movement around him without caring what they were doing. His mind moved to Carson. He'd failed Carson as well. Rodney and Carson had a bond too, one forged in love for each other and him. Theirs was a gentle friendship turned emotional and sensual and John failed to protect that. When Teyla placed her hand on his shoulder again he looked up at her.

“Carson..” his voice broke and he couldn't finish. 

“I know John. Ronan will stay with you and give you time to collect yourself. I have contacted Colonel Caldwell on a private channel and he will beam me directly to the infirmary if you wish me to break the news to Doctor Beckett.”

John couldn't have Rodney's body beamed to the infirmary in this condition without first telling Carson. No, he should be the one to tell him. 

“No.” John stood and wiped away the tear streaks as much as he could. Taking a few deep breaths he tried to calm himself as much as possible. “I need to be the one to tell him.”

Teyla laid a hand over John's heart before pulling his head down to hers. “I understand John.”

John pulled her into a hug as he felt Ronan's hand on his shoulder. Releasing Teyla he turned back to where Rodney lay. “I trust you both to stay with him.” He turned and accessed the private channel to Caldwell. “Colonel Caldwell,” John paused to gather the courage to say the words. “We're too late...I need you to transfer me directly to the infirmary and wait for my instructions on where and when to beam Teyla, Ronan and Rodney.” John knew his voice was betraying his emotional state but he didn't care. The entire expedition knew how close John's team was. 

“Acknowledged.” Came the colonel's reply before John view of the scene before him morphed into the sight of the isolation room in the infirmary of the Daedalus. Caldwell was more in tune to the emotions of the Atlantis crew than he was aware. He must know how far back Carson and Rodney went and that they'd been friends for years. John tapped his radio. “Sheppard to Beckett, please meet me in the iso room.” John sat down on one of the chairs and waited. 

That Carson didn't come rushing in immediately was proof that he expected the news to be bad. Had Rodney been rescued and injured he'd have been beamed directly to the emergency area of the infirmary. It was almost a full minute before the door opened. John watched as Carson met his eyes and then moved around the room in hope before settling back onto John. 

John stood as Carson walked to the chairs. 

“John, say it quickly... Please.” His eyes were bright with un shed tears. Tears that John put there he thought as another pang was felt deep in his chest. 

John reached for Carson to give him something to ground him as he told him and his own tears came again. “I was too late, Carson.... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...” Carson's head fell forward and a gasp left him. He fell into John and fisted his hands in his sleeves. John felt the nearly silent tears on his neck and he held on, wishing more than anything he could give Rodney back to Carson. 

“If I could trade places with him...” John began and Carson pulled back. “No John, don't say it. You are not to blame.” Johns head fell forward and Carson shook him by the arms slightly to get his attention. “I don't blame you, John.” 

A sob broke from John and Carson held him. “I had to tell you first... warn you.. Carson..” John sobbed brokenly, barely able to get the words out as his emotions made it hard to speak. “..drained by the wraith.... kill Kolya.. kill the bastards that took him...” Carson stiffened at the details, knowing what Rodney must have gone through, how terrified he must have been brought his heartbreak to the surface again and he held on to John for dear life. 

It was a while before both men slowly pulled away, not wanting to but both knowing they had an unpleasant job to do. Carson reached up to touch the side of John's face before moving to the small sink in the room. He washed his face before wetting a cloth and taking it to John. Carson wiped the tears away himself and then straightened John's shirt as well as his own. 

“Where is he John.”

John took a deep breath. It was time to bring himself under control again. “He's on the planet. Ronan and Teyla are with him... they'll transport with him wherever you need.” 

Carson knew Rodney was in the hands of people who loved him and he nodded. “I'll want to do an autopsy John. I need to know...” 

“I know. We'll need to know all we can about what happened. Who had him.” 

Carson looked around the iso room. “I'll have a table set up in here, a quiet private area just me and Doctor Brio then.” Carson pulled his radio out of his pocket and placed it in his ear and began giving orders to the infirmary staff. With in the next few minutes they had moved the bed that was set up and Carson had a table and the tools he would need and John had no idea it was possible for his heart to break more. 

It was Carson who gave the instructions to Colonel Caldwell to have Rodney's body transported to the iso room along with Teyla and Ronan. It was by unspoken agreement that the details and the state of Doctor McKay were to be kept to a small number of people. John and Carson's communication with Caldwell, Teyla and Ronan took place over private channels and the infirmary staff were instructed to speak to no one. It was agreed that John's team and Colonel Caldwell would convene in the conference room while Carson conducted his autopsy. 

As Rodney's body was beamed onto the table, Teyla and Ronan close beside him, Carson let out a gasp. John was nearby to steady him and Teyla turned to comfort Doctor Brio who had only just been told the news as she prepared to assist Carson. 

Carson allowed himself a moment with Rodney before straightening up and getting down to work. He ushered John, Teyla and Ronan to their meeting with Caldwell with a promise to contact him as soon as he had any news.

~~~

The darkness was closing in on Rodney like a physical thing. It pressed on him and made it difficult to breathe. He was terrified and he screamed into his arms for what felt like and eternity. He begged John to help him... called out to Carson, telling him he couldn't breathe and he wailed in emotional agony when no one came to his rescue. Exhaustion finally began to set in and his cries turned to moans as if physically in pain. He stayed in his curled up state afraid to move, his eyes closed tightly against the reality that opening them would show nothing but darkness anyway. His mind began to fragment. Alternating between hoping for rescue to flashes of the past, bits and pieces of pleasant memories that took him away from this hell hole reality. He saw the first time John kissed him. He remembered the feeling of knowing he could love both John and Carson, equally. He remembered the last night they all spent together, waking up between them safe and loved and he clung to that. His mind replayed that moment, kept him safe there and his cries grew more silent, his body relaxed in the exhaustion and he slipped into unconsciousness in that memory.

~~~

The conference table on the Daedalus was smaller than the one on Atlantis. It was just the four of them as they relayed the details of what they found on the planet. John was barely holding it together and Teyla frequently placed a hand on his leg to steady and ground him. Her hand was back as John spoke of finding Rodney's body and John laid his own shaking hand over it in thanks. 

At the end of their report, Caldwell sighed, shook his head and stared at the surface of the table before looking up and meeting each of their eyes in turn. “I'm so sorry. I know what it's like to lose people and I know you know what it's like but I also know how close you all were.” 

Teyla and John both looked ready to fall apart, only Ronan looked like he was holding it together. 

“Take as much time as you need to release the news, John. I know there's still work to do on the planet and information to collect. We can stay in orbit for a while longer until you're ready.” Caldwell magnanimously offered. 

John knew he needed to channel his attention into finding those responsible and he looked up to see Ronan meeting his eyes across the table. The silent conversation between them was all the two needed.

“Ronan and I are going back to the planet now.” John said with more conviction in his voice than he'd had before and Ronan had immediately stood up. 

“Take anyone you need and we'll make sure they're discreet until you're ready to inform the rest of the ship and Atlantis.” Caldwell offered. 

John shook his head. “Just Ronan and I.” He turned to Teyla. “Head to the infirmary and wait for news from Carson, please.” John almost pleaded with her. He knew she was just as anxious to find out who took Rodney but he needed her with Carson for now. 

Teyla understood though and as she stood she pulled John down in the Athosian way, meeting his forehead with hers. “Be safe.” She said with a look towards Ronan as well and then turned and left.

~~~

The planet showed a sign of a culling. Not one person was left behind and several had been killed. The bodies of Geni soldiers were few however and a scan of the planet didn't show any underground facilities and that confused John. If Kolya had brought Rodney here he had to have had a reason. Something he wanted Rodney to work on, build or fix. Something he needed Rodney for. The Geni usually escaped cullings by going underground and shielding their technology. This wasn't making any sense. 

“Maybe this planet was a stop along the way.” Ronan apparently had come to similar conclusions. They had made their rounds and were about to request transport back to the ship when Caldwell's voice came over the radio. 

_“Colonel Caldwell to Colonel Sheppard...”_

“Sheppard here.” 

_“If you and Ronan are almost finished with your investigation I need you both in the conference room.”_

John thought they might have some information from Carson and from the sound of Caldwells voice it might be a lead. John looked at Ronan who gave a nod of his head. “Transport us directly to the conference room, Colonel. Sheppard out.” 

Carson and Teyla were the only ones in the room. John was glad to see her sticking by him right now. Immediately John could feel a change in the mood of the two of them. Teyla no longer had a stricken look in her eyes and Carson was actually smiling. 

“What's happened. Where's Caldwell?” John demanded. 

“Colonel Caldwell is on the bridge.” Teyla supplied before turning her attention to Carson.

“John, it's not Rodney.” Carson said with a smile on his face. 

John felt his legs begin to give out on him. He didn't dare believe it just yet and he steadied himself against the table. Ronan believed it immediately and slapped him on the shoulder in relief. John's head began to swim however so he lowered himself into one of the conference room chairs. Carson moved into the chair next to John and turned John to face him.

“John, the DNA does not match.”

John just looked at Carson stupidly, trying to comprehend. Trying to believe him. “But his subcue...”

“Yes.” Carson said, gently easing John into the news. “Rodney's subcue was in the arm of the body but John, it was in the right arm. Rodney's subcue was placed in his left arm.”

“His jacket..” 

“His jacket had been sliced up the left arm John. Someone cut his subcue out of his arm, the blood on the jacket was Rodney's, but John, the body in the infirmary is not Rodney.” Carson said and firmly as he could trying to make John understand. “They went to a deal of trouble to makes us believe it was though.” Carson reached for John's wrist and checked his heart rate before reaching a hand to feel John's face. He was checking for signs of shock as John processed what Carson had said. If that's true, John thought, he's still out there. 

That thought brought John to life in a way he hadn't felt since he laid eyes on Rodney's jacket. He jumped out of the chair and pulled Carson into the biggest hug he could. He didn't care if Caldwell did walk in at this point, Rodney was alive! Teyla was beaming and Ronan was even smiling. 

John looked around. “Does Caldwell know?” He asked the room. 

“He does John, he came into the infirmary as Doctor Beckett was giving me the news. He's waiting for you on the bridge. We both assumed you might want to contact Ladon Radim again.” Teyla said. 

“Yeah. Yeah I do.” John was headed to the conference room door before turning around and addressing Carson. “Find out all you can from that body, I want to know if it's Geni or one of the villagers.”

“Aye, I'll contact you as soon as I can.” Carson said with renewed determination as he watched the three of them head out the door.

~~~

Kolya crouched at the open hatch and watched the still body below. It had only been a few hours but when Rodney quieted he knew the man had lapsed into unconsciousness and he didn't want to go too far with this torture. Rodney had agreed to work before the hatch was shut. Now McKay should be downright eager. He patiently waited for Rodney to come to.

~~~

Rodney woke to pain. He opened his eyes and found his head was cradled in his own arms and the memory came crashing back to him all at once. Buried alive! But he could see his arms. He raised his head and looked at the ground he was lying on. Light. Looking up he saw Kolya. The man he hated more than anything but right now, his mind slowly pulling together, the only man who could save him from this cell. This hole that will become his grave if they keep him in it. He knew he couldn't take it if Kolya shut that hatch on him again and Rodney began to shake. His voice was raw from screaming but he had to try. “Please...” 

“You will work.” Kolya simply said. 

“Yes.” Rodney agreed, hating how weak his voice sounded. 

Kolya stood and made a gesture to someone out of line of Rodney's sight. A ladder was lowered and left there for Rodney to use. He was shaky as he tried to stand and grabbed the bottom rung both to help himself stand and as if he were afraid of it being taken away. Slowly he made is way up the ladder and out of the hole. There was only one other guard with Kolya and he grabbed Rodney's arm immediately. Rodney could barely stand and Kolya gripped his chin and forced Rodney to look at him. “I will come back in one hours time. You will clean up and be ready to work. I am completely out of patience and any more defiance from you and you'll go back to the cell in the ground and I will seal that hatch shut!” Kolya released his face with a little force and left the cells, slamming the door at the top of the stairs shut behind him. The guard holding Rodney maneuvered him back to his original cell and pushed him in. Landing on the bed, Rodney took a deep breath as he was left alone again. His cell contained a large bucket of water and cake of soap along with a cloth and a change of clothes on the cot. He was still trying to bring his mind back together after the trauma of being locked underground and it took him several minutes before he could function. His arm hurt still and his body felt as if he'd fallen. Well, he guessed he had since they didn't use a ladder to get him into the hole. His bladder was pressing him a bit which gave him a sense of how much time had passed. Hours, he guessed as he shakily made his way to the bucket to relieve himself. Looking at the water he decided it was best to do as he was told and he stripped off his bdu's and t-shirt which had become quite filthy from the underground cell. Dropping them on the floor by the cot he made use of the cold water and soap. Saving the cloth to use as a towel he cleaned up as best he could and dressed in the rough pants and shirt, which surprisingly fit him, in just enough time to hear the door at the top of the stairs open. He could smell the food and hoped it was for him. The guard was carrying a tray with what looked like a small loaf of bread and a cup. Setting it on the cot this time he shut the door. “Ten minutes.” He said simply as he left. 

Sitting on the cot Rodney reached for the bread eagerly, surprised to find that it was the Geni version of a sandwich with some sort of meat and cheese inside. The small bread loaf wasn't too hard either and the cup contained water. 

As he drained the last of the water, the door atop the stairs opened and Kolya came down alone. Unlocking the door of Rodney's cell he told Rodney to follow him.

~~~

 _“Colonel, if you have the bodies of Geni men on that planet I need to see who they are. If I can identify them as Kolya's men I might be able to learn more about where they've been seen if I question the right people.”_ Ladon was transmitting from the Geni home world where John contacted him demanding more answers. 

“Oh I intend to do just that.” John stated. “The bodies are in our morgue and we'll be at your location in two hours. Sheppard out.” John killed the transmission. It was decided that the Daedalus would travel to the Geni home world and beam John's team and the dead Geni to a location just outside the city as if they had traveled by Stargate. Ladon had yet to see the Daedalus and John planned to keep it that way for now. From there they could gate back to the Alpha site and on to Atlantis. The trip to the planet on the Daedalus was a security measure since they didn't know exactly what they would be walking into and might have needed the Daedalus's facilities. They no longer needed the long range scanners the Daedalus had for Rodney's subcutaneous transmitter now that they knew he no longer had it. John asked Carson to head back to Atlantis with the Daedalus and his infirmary crew and he agreed but not before making John promise to contact him as soon as he was back in Atlantis with news. 

In the two hours it took to arrive, John learned from Carson that the man wearing Rodney's jacked and in possession of his subcue was most likely not Geni but one of the villagers who had fallen victim to a wraith on the ground during the culling. John coordinated with Teyla and Ronan as well as another small team of marines to set up transporting the bodies to the planet once they'd arrived. 

By the time John and his team was standing in a clearing just outside the city where he'd demanded Ladon meet them, he was radiating with anger and wanting answers. Ladon arrived with several men and while they didn't appear to be armed John wasn't about to let his guard down. 

As Ladon approached the men John brought unzipped the bags containing the bodies. Three had been drained but wore Geni uniforms. Another had been shot. 

“I know these men.” Ladon confirmed. “And yes, they are Kolya's men.” Ladon bent down to look closely at the man who had been shot. That he wasn't a victim of a wraith had John hoping that Radon could identify him on sight. Radon rifled through the dead man's pockets and finding nothing, stood and turned to John. 

“Colonel, I believe I may have some answers for you. Allow my men to take the dead and if you'll follow me back, I have something you should see.” Ladon kept eye contact with John as he waited for his answer. 

“After you.” John said with a look to Teyla and Ronan. They flanked him as they and the marines with them followed Ladon, leaving the Geni to see to their dead.

~~~

Rodney understood what was expected of him before he was led to the same room where the device was that he inspected earlier. Yesterday? His sense of time was definitely out of whack right now. His tablet was there as were the cables. From what he saw when he'd first hooked the tablet up and began scanning it, it was a high powered laser capable of being used as a weapon and was ancient in design. 

In the room Kolya pushed Rodney to the table the device rested on, picked up his tablet and shoved it into his hands. 

“Start working.” Kolya said. “I want this operational. If you turn it on without alerting me that it's ready to be tested or attempt to use it to escape I will throw you back in that cell. Do you understand?”

Rodney knew he had no choice. He'd figure something out but right now, he had enough of his senses about him to play the cowed victim and he dropped his head and agreed. “Yes, Kolya.” Rodney raised his head to watch as Kolya left, stopping to give instructions to the guard at the door. As soon as the door shut he dropped his victim act slightly and cursed the man under his breath in three different languages before getting to work.

~~~

Ladon dropped the Geni version of a file folder on his desk in front of John. “The man who had been shot was suspected of being a spy for Kolya.” He started as John reached for the file and began to go through it. There were notes and papers that looked official in some Geni way but none of it was English. 

“I can't read this.” John said pushing the pile towards Ladon. 

Pulling the file around Ladon set several sheets aside before pulling one out. “Maybe not but I'm sure you can read this.” He said, dropping the page down in front of John. 

Gate addresses. Ronan and Teyla leaned in to read them as well. 

Ladon pointed to the last one on the page. “This is the last address he was seen using the last time he left this planet. He hadn't been back. He's been under our surveillance for a few months now but I haven't had the chance to send a team to check the planet out yet.” Ladon said sitting back in his chair behind his desk. “I also don't have the resources. You on the other hand, have technology we do not possess. All I ask is that if you find Kolya, you either kill him or bring him to me.” Ladon said. “But something tells me that if you find him, I'll never see Kolya again.” 

John regarded Landon for a moment before picking the paper up and folding it in half. 

Standing he pocketed the page without asking for permission. “If there's anything left of him, I'll tell you where you can find the body.” John promised as he turned and left the office trusting his team would follow.

~~~

Rodney worked several hours based on the clock on his tablet. He could see what time it should be on Atlantis, and what day and that made his heart ache for home and John and Carson. The laser itself wasn't far from operational but Rodney knew he had to bluff a little for time. He'd already had to retrieve his second battery from his pack once he explained to the guard what it was and why he needed it. His hands were beginning to shake again as they hadn't given him anything to eat since the sandwich and water he ate. He'd asked but the guard ignored the request and instead put his gun to Rodney's head and told him to get back to work. 

Rodney decided not to ask again. 

He was fighting the nausea and feeling the sweat break out across his forehead when he came across a file in the device. Opening it he couldn't believe his luck. So far he hadn't found a way for his gene to interact with the ancient device but based on this file, he could use his gene to activate a silent signal to communicate with other ancient devices. It was risky, he had no idea if this base of Kolya's contained any other ancient devices but depending how far the signal went, there was a chance of Atlantis coming across it. 

He wavered. Did he risk being caught and thrown in that cell? He could try to claim that it was accidental, a product of not knowing everything about the device. It took another hour of trying to decide and his hypoglycemia threatening him to decide that it was worth the risks. 

Just as he activated the signal, Kolya came into the room. Rodney jumped back and set the tablet down as he waited to see what Kolya would do. As much as he knew he should act like Kolya had broken him, it wasn't far from the truth and Rodney was terrified of the man. 

“I want a status report Rodney.” Kolya demanded. 

Rodney backed away from the man until he came up against the desk holding the tools. “Some... some progress.” he said, his voice and hands shaking now. “I'm in the system... I've... I've fixed several files needed. There are more that need work.” He saw Kolya eyeing the device and knew he had to keep him from trying to test it. “If you turn it on now, before I can fix those files though... this building will be a smoking crater.” Rodney made his eyes as wide as he could trying to convey this as truth to Kolya. The man knew nothing of ancient technology and had to believe him, Rodney thought. 

Kolya looked at Rodney's shaking hands. “You need to eat, don't you.” 

“Yes, please. I can't think straight unless I have something..” Rodney's eyes slid to the guard for a moment and wondered if he was told to deny Rodney any food. 

It was at that moment his tablet beeped in an alert that Rodney had set to go off. He often used the alarm clock setting on it to alert him to meetings that were set up in advance to avoid working through them if he was engaged in a project. 

He panicked as Kolya rounded on him. “A signal?” he yelled grabbing Rodney by the arms and shoving him back. Turning Kolya grabbed the tablet and threw it at the wall, shattering it and the alarm stopped. 

“No! You don't understand!” Rodney tried to explain that it wasn't a signal but Kolya began issuing orders to the guard in the room with them and two others who entered at the sound. “Take him down and wait for me.” He said with a hard look at Rodney. A look that terrified Rodney to his bones. As they dragged him out he tried reasoning with them, tried explaining but they wouldn't stop. 

They were headed back to where his cell was. Back to the underground cell. “NO! Please, no! You can't put me in there. It wasn't a signal!” He pleaded with them. He could feel the stitches in his arm ripping open as they dragged him down the stairs. “No, please NO!” 

Kolya was there suddenly, a loop of rope in his hands and a grin on his face. For a second it occurred to Rodney that Kolya knew his alarm wasn't a signal and was doing this to torture Rodney, try to break him a little more. The rope was looped around his wrists in front of him and then thrown over the top of one of the cell doors and tied in place raising his wrists above his head. 

“How long before that signal reaches your people McKay!” Kolya demanded and one guard began the beating. Rodney wasn't able to answer as the guards fist connected with his ribs. Kolya continued to shout questions at him as he was beaten. One fist to his face knocked his head into the bars so hard he was sure he would pass out. He didn't but he wasn't far away from losing consciousness when he felt the guards turning him to face the cell door. The questions had stopped. He couldn't even tell if Kolya was still in the room all he knew was that they were most likely going to drop him in that cell when they were done. 

The strap they took to his back lasted for several lashes and screamed with each one. A commotion at the top of the stairs stopped the whipping though and the guards headed towards it, leaving Rodney tied in place against the cell door. He was having trouble staying on his feet and he could feel blood dripping down his arm and back before succumbing to darkness His last thought was that he would wake up in the cell in the ground, buried alive.

~~~

John led the team through the area with a scanner in one hand and his sidearm in the other. The team with him had enough fire power but his concentration was on the lifesigns detector. After they had gated back to Atlantis to come up with a plan for the gate Ladon indicated would be a good place to look, Radek came to John with an LSD. The team he'd put together was gearing up but John was the first to be ready to go. Time was of the essence and he had no desire to go through losing Rodney a second time. 

“Thanks Radek but I already have one.” John said, pulling his out of his tac vest. 

“It occurred to me, Colonel, that if Kolya took Rodney, he took him for a reason. He needs his knowledge of something. Maybe ancient. This LSD has been reprogrammed.” Showing John the changes, he explained that it would also detect power sources in addition to life signs and was calibrated to actively search out ancient tech. As Radek was showing him how to use it the rest of the team entered the gate room. John handed Radek the scanner he was carrying and pocketed the new one. “Thank you, Radek.” 

“Bring him back Colonel. I do not want his job.” Radek responded with a sad smile. They had sent a M.A.L.P through first to get a visual and scan for anyone in the immediate area. They found nothing. 

John had set the scanner to do what Radek had programmed it for and led the team towards the closest life signs. As they got closer he was able to see the scanner was working. A ping he'd never seen before showed up near the life signs he was detecting. The forest they were trekking through opened up to a large clearing. There was one building but based on the LSD, several signals were below the building. 

Jackpot. 

There were a few men at the front of the facility, it wasn't very large but John sent several men to go around the clearing and report back as to the defensiveness of the back. He hated waiting but he couldn't lead his team into something he wasn't sure of. He needed the intel before they could proceed.  
Teyla and Ronan had stayed with him and he was reassured by their presence. Once they had an idea where Rodney might be, he would send the marines to dispatch Kolya's men while he, Teyla and Ronan went after Rodney. 

It was ten minutes before his men reported back. In that time John noticed a difference in the men at the entrance. They appeared to become agitated and anxious. When his men reported similar activity he checked the life signs detector again to make sure of the count. He gave the order to take out the men on the surface at the same time. It wasn't like they could do it quietly so as soon as they made their presence known John reported the locations of the signs inside. There were less than a dozen and John knew his team would dispatch them quickly. As they made their way in they took care of the main floor immediately. The ping on John's scanner indicated whatever it was would be one floor down. He relayed the information with instructions that Rodney could be in that room. Ronan took point and between him and another marine they took out the Geni guarding the door. Teyla sent men to secure the main floor and each floor behind them as they made their way down. John knew he could always count on Teyla to watch their backs. 

Together, John and Ronan entered the room where the ping was coming from. 

“Empty” Ronan reported. John looked at the device, walking around the table it was sitting on. 

“Don't touch it Sheppard.” Ronan instructed. At the look John gave him he shrugged. “That's what McKay would tell you.” Before John could respond Ronan pointed his gun at something behind John and John spun around. 

It was Rodney's tablet, shattered on the floor and his pack. Proof he was here. He might still be here and John had to get to him before Kolya managed to kill him or get him away from the facility. 

John had Teyla cover their six by staying one floor above them as they descended. Leading the team to the next floor, dispatching Kolya's men along the way, they were down to just four more life signs. One was three floors down and three were an additional three floors below that. At the 5th level down they were caught by surprise. One of the marines took a hit in the arm. It wasn't fatal but he was out of commission. He radioed for one of the marines on the surface to make their way to the man's location and help him back to the surface. As the Geni rounded on them again, Ronan managed to take him out before he could get in a shot. 

Three left. Seeing no signs of life until the last level John was hopeful. He still hadn't seen Kolya but he could be one of the men with McKay. _'Please',_ he thought, _'let one of these signs be Rodney.'_

The second to last level was different. No rooms to check, just a short hallway and a door that led to the final level. It was then that John heard the screaming. 

Rodney! 

Ronan charged towards the door as two men came through. The fight didn't last long with Ronan taking both out and shoving their bodies aside in the small hallway. It registered with John that the screaming stopped when the men came through the door. 

Rodney's was the last life sign left below them. 

“Teyla, there's no more Geni in the building that I can see and we haven't seen Kolya!” John reported to her location as he and Ronan got the door open and started down the stairs. He barely heard her response as he took in the sight. A row of cells and Rodney. He was tied to the top of one of the cells and looked unresponsive. As they got to him John supported his body as Ronan cut him down. Together they lowered him and removed the rope around his wrists. Feeling for a pulse, John let out a sigh of relief to find one. But it was faint and Rodney was injured badly. They had to get him back to Atlantis. Now. 

John radioed his team to contact Atlantis to send a jumper with Beckett and a medical team to the location of the facility. The Geni threat was neutralized as much as they could tell although having seen no sign of Kolya was disturbing. Between John and Ronan they carried Rodney up through the facility. 

Teyla met them at the top of the lower level and gasped at seeing Rodney between the two men. 

“Teyla, Rodney's pack is in the room where the signal was coming from on the second floor. Secure it. We'll come back for the device and a thorough search of the entire planet after we get Rodney home.” John ordered and Teyla moved quickly to comply. By the time Ronan and John got Rodney to the main floor the jumper was landing and Rodney was still unconscious. 

Laying him gently on the floor John checked his pulse again as he waited for Carson to bring his team in. It was still there though, weak as it was. Carson was at his side quickly and it belatedly occurred to John that he must have had personnel in a jumper and ready to go as fast as they had arrived. 

Carson and his team made quick work of stabilizing Rodney and moving him onto a stretcher for transport. John relayed orders to his team to secure the area and the facility and to radio in with their findings as he headed to the jumper with the medical team. He was taking Rodney home and trusted his marines to take care of the facility. Teyla and Ronan settled themselves in the front with John leaving Carson and his team the room to work on Rodney. 

John was still shaking with adrenaline when he docked in the jumper bay. Luckily the infirmary was nearby and Carson whisked Rodney there directly. John watched them go, knowing Rodney was in good hands and knowing he had to report to Elizabeth and arrange to rotate a team back to the planet once his men reported it was fully secure. Any information on Kolya's whereabouts were at the top of John's list of information he needed to know. 

“John!” Elizabeth called from the entrance of the jumper bay. John, Ronan and Teyla turned to meet her. “How is he?” she asked. 

“Alive.” John said, feeling the rush of adrenaline lessen. He relayed what they found on the planet and that his men were securing the facility. 

“And Kolya?” Elizabeth asked hopefully. 

“Nowhere to be found.”

John knew Elizabeth would never condone outright killing the man but the shadow on her face told him that she probably wouldn't have admonished him for it if she learned he had. John laid a hand on her shoulder in thanks and turned towards the infirmary, his team following. He trusted her to keep him in the loop on the search of the planet.

~~~

Carson had Rodney transferred to a bed where he worked on assessing his injuries. The immediate ones, the crude ripped open stitches in his arm and the whip marks he cleaned and applied bandages to help stop the bleeding. The rough clothing was cut away and seeing the bruising on his ribs, ordered the scanner set up and the bed wheeled under it right away. Carson prayed, as he conducted the scan himself, that he wouldn't find internal bleeding. Adding surgery to what Rodney had already been through was not something Carson wanted to do to him. He sighed in relief when he found none and only cracked but not broken ribs. The fact that Rodney was still unconscious was disturbing him however. A nurse had drawn blood and should be back with some results soon but Carson knew that his blood sugar levels would most likely be low so he set up an IV as Doctor Brio began to clean Rodney up a little more. His ribs were wrapped and a gown was put on him. Scrubs could wait until Rodney woke and the IV was no longer needed. He had just settled Rodney in the area Carson used as an intensive care center and had drawn the curtains a little when John, Teyla and Ronan came in. 

John went straight to Rodney's side as Teyla and Ronan stood back, almost at guard, by the curtain. He looked at Carson for answers as he reached for Rodney's hand. 

 

“He's been beaten and whipped and his levels were low so I have him on an IV to bring them up. He's very dehydrated and the saline will help with that. There's no internal bleeding but he does have a few bruised and cracked ribs and a slight concussion. My biggest concern is with the possibility of infection from the open wounds so we'll be monitoring those and I'm going to re-stitch the wound on his arm right now.” Carson sighed and placed his hand on Rodney's forehead just above the bandage there to sweep his hair back a bit before moving it to the bruise on his jaw. “We have him on some light pain meds so once he's better hydrated and his blood sugar comes up I expect him to rouse.” Carson added. Looking up at John and the thunderous look in his eyes at the state of the man they both loved Carson reached across to place a hand on top of Johns as it held Rodney's. “It's not as bad as it could have been, John. He'll pull through. It's not as bad as I feared it would be.” Carson looked to the open portion of the curtain to see Ronan and Teyla blocking any view from the rest of the infirmary and he smiled a thank you at them for helping them have this moment with Rodney. 

John let out a sigh and his shoulders dropped slightly. He wouldn't be able to rest until Rodney woke up though and he could look into those blue eyes and hear his voice. John would spend forever apologizing to him for not keeping him safe. 

“John, you need to clean up and I want to examine you and everyone else who comes back from the rescue mission. And then you need to have something to eat.” Carson looked from John to this team members including them in the order. “You can all come back after that.” 

John didn't move right away and it took Teyla gently taking his arm before following them out for their post missions. Carson knew John would be the first one back and he began to stitch Rodney's arm, cursing the Geni doctor for his shoddy work and for cutting into Rodney in the first place.

~~~

John stood in the doorway of the private room in the infirmary where Carson had moved Rodney. He still wasn’t awake and that concerned John for a second until he realized that Carson wasn’t there and no one seemed overly concerned at the moment. He was hooked up to so many monitors and they were beeping reassuringly so John took a deep breath and tried to push his anxiety down. 

He walked closer to the bed quietly. As much as John needed to know he was ok Rodney probably needed the rest. He swept his eyes over his lover and something inside just broke. He looked so small and vulnerable in that bed. He’d never seen Rodney so still in sleep before but that was probably the pain meds Carson had him on. He could see the bandages that were wrapped around his ribs peeking out from the blanket that was pulled over him. An IV was running into his right arm which was resting cradled on a pillow at his side. The bruises on his face seemed stark surrounded as they were by the white bedding and the bandage covering the cut on his forehead. The bandages on his wrists and his arm where they’d cut out his subcutaneous transmitter angered John as much as the rest. He could imagine what Rodney went through at their hands, restrained as those bastards cut into him. John was shaking to the point that he needed to sit… needed to just be near Rodney. Quietly he pulled the chair by the bed closer and sat down at Rodney’s left side, away from the IV. Tentatively he placed his hand on the patch of skin between bandages and lowered his head to the bed to wait for his lover to wake up. Mentally he dared anyone to make him leave as he let out a shuddering breath and took refuge in listening to Rodney’s reassuring breathing. 

Carson came in quietly. He'd seen John enter and late as it was he had sent most of his staff to their own beds. Moving around to the opposite side of the bed, Carson checked the monitors and the levels of the IV's. John raised his head at hearing Carson work, thankful for the man that he could trust with Rodney. The heart monitor changed and they both looked eagerly at Rodney knowing it was an indication that he was becoming more conscious.

~~~

His head hurt, was the first thing he noticed as Rodney's mind began to slowly swim to the surface. Pain... he felt dull pain all over. What? Where... he couldn't open his eyes. His last memory came back to him and he moaned as he saw the fists coming at him. He heard Kolya's voice... his promise to put him back in that hole. _'Oh no.. they buried me in that cell!'_ He tried to move but the memory was a crushing weight and he couldn't breathe again. He tried to call out, tried to lift his hands to reach the hatch but he couldn't. _'No.. NO... let me out! Help me JOHN!'_

~~~

John tried to talk to him as Rodney showed signs he was waking up. “Come on Rodney, let's see those baby blues.” he begged with a smile in his voice. John needed more than anything for Rodney to open his eyes. When Rodney didn't however and he began to moan John looked to Carson. 

“Rodney, can you hear me lad?” Carson asked as he studied Rodney's face for signs that he heard him. When Rodney began to move his arms and the moans from Rodney intensified Carson held onto the arm with the IV in it to keep him from pulling it out. “John, hold his arm, he'll pull his stitches out.” 

John took hold of both arms as Rodney began to thrash. His moans and cries becoming louder. “No... please...” John's heart broke at the words. Rodney didn't know he was safe back in Atlantis. John held on as Carson tried to soothe Rodney awake but it wasn't working. “No.. NO! Let... out. Help... JOHN!” 

“Rodney! I'm here. You're safe Rodney, open your eyes!” John pleaded as he held his lover to the bed knowing it was probably keeping him in this nightmare but also knowing that he would injure himself if he let go. Rodney moved his head from side to side and moaned but his voice was becoming stronger. That told John he was closer to consciousness. “Rodney! It's me. Me and Carson. You're safe Rodney. Wake up.”

Rodney's thrashing eased a bit as it appeared John's words were reaching him. His eyes opened and John waited for them to focus on him. Rodney blinked, finding John and he stilled. “John?” he said weakly and he held his gaze before turning to look up at Carson. 

“Not... not buried?” Rodney asked his eyes moving between the two of them frantically as if he expected them both to vanish. 

John slowly released the hold on his arms and picked up Rodney's hand to show him he wasn't restrained. Bringing the hand to his face he kissed it. “No.” John promised him. “You're back on Atlantis. You're safe.” He smiled when Rodney moved his hand against his cheek and looked to Carson. 

“Yes, lad. We've got you.” Carson was beaming down at him. 

“Safe...” Rodney's arm went limp as he fell into a light sleep.

_Three Weeks Later_

John held tight to Rodney as he kissed his neck and fucked into him leisurely as Rodney was spooned in front of him. Rodney had recovered although for a while he was very clingy to both John and Carson. He'd gone on his first mission back just a few days before and stayed close to his team and John was glad to see the experience hadn't broken him. Made him more cautious maybe but he was still the man he loved. Kolya had some how gotten away and that worried John more than anything. The thought that he was still out there, still able to harm Rodney, or Carson even, ate at him. His arms tightened around his lover. Carson had been asleep on the other side of Rodney but had begun to stir when John entered Rodney again in the middle of the night, needing to feel him alive around him. Rodney reached for Carson as John fucked him and Carson sleepily came to him, pushing his legs between Rodney's and kissing into his neck while moving his hand to Rodney's cock to slowly stroke him. Rodney's hands went to Carson's shoulders and he moaned at the feeling of being fully protected by his lovers, in their arms between them. John's emotions were high, Rodney could tell. As John's thrusts into him intensified he began to almost chant, “Ours... ours Rodney... you belong to us.... not to him..not to anyone else...” 

“Yes!” Rodney was almost breathless with emotion and pleasure as Carson gripped his cock harder in agreement with John and nuzzled his neck. “Yours...oh.... yours.” John's hold on him intensified for a moment as he gave one last thrust and came. After a few moments John pulled out and rolled Rodney onto his back. Carson moved with him not letting Rodney go as he rose to his hands and knees and swallowed Rodney down. Rodney moaned and gripped the bed sheets below him as John moved behind Carson and reached around for his cock, jacking him as Carson blew Rodney. “That's it.” Johns said as his other hand rubbed Carson's back. “Come together.... I want to see it.”


End file.
